Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter

A/N-This chapter is really just setting the mood for the upcoming chapters, with some tantalizing hints about upcoming secrets and some romance.

Putting It Behind Us

It felt good to breathe fresh air again, Ron minded, as he took his first step out of St. Mungo's. Well, it wasn't really a step, as he was being pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair, steered by none other than Luna Lovegood.

He would never forget taking his first roll around Mungo's in his wheelchair and seeing Luna run at him.

"Oh, Ronald! I'm so glad you're okay! I was getting worried, I was thinking you might need some unicorn blood, but that would've made you worse, so I thought I might have to get the liver of Bent-Back Marvalian to help you but they're dreadful hard to find, they live in Tibet, you know, and so very few ever migrate to England, but I would've gone all the way to Tibet to get one for you…"

She had only stopped when a passing Healer told her that she was getting too worked up for someone in his condition, at which she had gasped loudly and quickly silenced herself with her wand.

And now she was pushing his wheel chair, humming a made-up tune, her wand, which was held in one of her hands against the handlebars, tapping his head irritatingly as she swayed side to side with the tune of this imagined beat.

"I'm so glad I didn't need the liver of a Bent-Back Marvalian," she said. "They're considered sacred, you know, by the Tibetan monks, so it would have been rather difficult to escape with one. But those Healers knew what they were doing. Perhaps I should be a Healer."

"Just yesterday you wanted to be a slug," Ron commented.

"Yes, it must be interesting to be a slug, don't you think? Just sliding away on the ground, covered in your own slime. Of course, it's not unusual for the slug, but how interesting would it be for a human to see from its point of view?"

"I don't think it would be much of a treat," he replied tartly.

"I do."

She removed her hand from the handlebar (Not the one holding the wand, to Ron's annoyance) and began toying with his hair. The wand was still tapping his head in a steady, rhythmic time signature.

"You should never, ever judge someone until you walk a mile in their shoes," she said sagely. "I want to have a go at being everything in the world, except, of course, a Death Eater."

Luna fell silent after those last few words, and Ron was grateful that she had, not just because her talk confused and disoriented him, but also because at the thought of Death Eaters, his thoughts went reeling back to July 21st, the day his life was blown straight to Hell.

Grimmauld Place had been about as warm as it possibly ever could have been, with Percy back with the family and newly instated at Grimmauld Place, when Ginny had heard that sound. A very faint ticking noise just outside the door.

For the first time ever, Ron appreciated that his father knew about Muggles.

"It sounds amazingly like something on the Muggle cartoons. They call it a "bome", I think, and it always ticks like that before it explodes."

"I think it's pronounced "bomb", Father," Percy had muttered under his breath.

"Ah yes, "bomb", and I do believe it causes great, big explosions…" Arthur trailed off, suddenly frowning. "Why on Earth there would be a bomb here, of all places? No one knows we're here, and Death Eaters wouldn't use bombs…would they?"

Molly shoved back her chair, not flinching with the others as it made a horrible scraping noise.

"Ron, Ginny, get upstairs," she said, in a voice that demanded and never failed to receive obedience. "Percy, you watch the stairs. Bill, stay here. Arthur…"

"Yes." Arthur was glaring intently at the door. All cheeriness of his usual demeanor had flown out the window as Molly power-walked to his side. She reached slowly into her robes and unsheathed her wand, a 12-inch French product of Fig tree and Veela hair. She was matched by Arthur's own wand, 13 inches, made of Maple and unicorn hair. Both wands were pointed directly at the door.

Ron and Ginny squatted at the corner on the first landing up the stairs, squinting down to see Arthur and Molly. Fresh aches were beginning to form all over Ron's body, and the welts left by the brains were beginning to show, as if he had just swum with jellyfish.

"Ron!" Ginny whispered fiercely, grabbing his hand. He hadn't realized that he'd been wincing.

"If you're out there," Arthur called loudly, his voice strong even as his whole frame shook, "enter the house and fight."

"Arthur," Molly whispered urgently.

"There's nothing worse than uncertainty," he replied softly. "Well?!" he yelled at the door. "What are you waiting for?"

Complete silence, the ticking sound the exception, was his answer. Bill moved, but Molly stayed him with a flick of her hand.

"Dad, do you think…?" Bill whispered.

"Shh." Arthur cocked his head, listening intently. The ticking grew louder, quicker, more menacing, and then…it stopped.

"Dad?" Ginny called down nervously.

"GET DOWN!!"

Arthur jumped on Molly and pinned her to the floor, shielding her with himself. Bill and Percy dropped in their tracks, and Ron threw Ginny back, bouncing after her and holding her against his chest, as the door, without any hint of a warning, blew backwards with a fury violent enough to rival a tornado.

The welts on Ron's arm and neck suddenly exploded with pain, as if he had a thousand of Harry's scar plastered all over his body.

There was a clattering as the scattered two-by-fours were kicked.

"My, my, my," a female voice said. "I haven't been in this house since my graduation party, do you remember, darling? Dear old Sirius did us the courtesy of changing my caviar into locusts that attacked Mother's wig. Well, it certainly has taken a fall from grace, hasn't it?"

"It's Bellatrix," Ginny whispered to Ron, her fingers digging into his shirt.

He didn't answer; the pain was so great.

"Arthur, Molly, how lovely to see you again!" the same sickly-sweet voice echoed. "Though, I must say, you do look a bit worse than when I last saw you. Living in that shack might be the problem. And to think, Arthur, your mother was Spica Black, my father's sister!"

"My mother was Spica Weasley, and was a sight too good for this…house," Arthur answered steely.

Ron realized with a sickening lurch in his stomach that he was related to Bellatrix through his grandmother. Grandma Spica, who was always outspoken against the dark side, an avid supporter of Dumbledore, an old school friend of Hagrid and Harry's grandparents, Timothy and Gloria…it was through her that he was related to the creature responsible for his best friend's depression. He felt anger well up inside him, trotting along side by side with the pain on his arms.

"Ah, well, no time to argue over family, wouldn't you say?" Bellatrix continued cheerfully, twirling her wand inbetween her fingers like a baton. "I had the pleasure of seeing your son and daughter writhe in agony back in June. Let's see if you can do it quite as well as they can."

"Silencio!" Molly shrieked from the floor, her wand pointed due Bellatrix's throat.

Bellatrix did not have time to dodge or protect herself. Molly's spell hit her straight where, had she been male, her Adam's apple would have been. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Her eyes snapping with fury, she grabbed her husband and thrust him forward.

Taking his cue from her, he pointed his wand at Arthur.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled in his booming voice.

"Prote—" Arthur started, but before the word left his mouth he was suspended in mid-air.

"Locomotor Arthur Weasley!" Rodolphus bellowed.

"ARTHUR!!" Molly screeched, as Rodolphus directed Arthur's body straight into the wall.

Another Death Eater stepped forward. This one was unrecognizable.

"You're quite annoying, Molly," he said conversationally, eyeing the redheaded Weasley matron. "You always were, even at Hogwarts. Avada Kedavra."

Molly screeched as the spell exploded from the tip of Rabastan's wand, and her shriek was promptly cut off as a body flung itself in front of her.

"PERCY!!" Ginny shrieked, her fingers digging to Ron's shirt so hard they were creating indents. Tears burst from her eyes. "Oh my God, oh my God, Percy, oh my God…"

Molly stared at the body of her son, eyes glassed over. Her mouth was slightly open, looking as if everything she had seen and heard had gone through her mind and out the other end.

Ron's mind numbed with the pain of the welts. Ginny's sobbing was the only thing keeping him from passing out.

And suddenly, Ginny had detached herself and sprinted down the stairs, tears flying off her face as she unsheathed her wand, a 9-inch Apple tree and phoenix feather wand.

"Ginny!" Bill and Ron both yelled. Ron jumped up, wishing he hadn't when the excruciating pain quickly doubled, and ran down after her.

"C-Crucio!" Ginny half-yelled, half-whimpered, pointing her wand at the unknown Death Eater.

"Protego!" he said carelessly, flicking the spell off himself. "Very weak, little girl, very weak, indeed. You want a strong curse? How's this feel for you?" He flicked his wand lazily. "Matovida!"

Ginny stopped moving. Her face turned a sickly shade of pale as she sunk to her knees on the floor. She leaned over, her mouth opening and shutting like a beached fish. With every opening, blood poured forth from her throat.

"Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted, pointing at the Death Eater.

"Finite Incantatem!" a female voice cried, and Ron's spell was rendered useless. Bellatrix seemed to have gotten Rodolphus to perform the counter spell for the Silencing Charm, because she was smirking at them, her wand raised.

"Immobulous!" Bill shouted, pointing at Bellatrix.

"Protego!" The spell reflected and disintegrated. "Avada Kedavra!"

Ginny shrieked, blood pouring in a river from her mouth, as Bill collapsed to the floor, eyes dark and wide open in shock.

It was too much. Ron's head spun in a circle. He could feel blood pouring from the welt marks, felt it as it streamed down his legs and arms. Darkness was claiming him. He swayed on his feet and felt himself collapse. He felt his head crash painfully into a stair step. Darkness approached that much quicker, and suddenly, the lights went out.

He had awakened later in Fred and George's shop, leaning against the wall, to find his mother crazy and his father and sister unconscious, near death. He considered it a miracle that they were not all dead. He could only assume that they had thought himself, Ginny, and Arthur dead as well as Percy and Bill, and did not see Molly as much of a threat, and had departed.

"Ronald?"

Luna's wand tapping against his head brought him back to the present, and his eyes once again focused in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"Are you feeling quite all right?"

"Yeah."

She was still toying with his hair, and as her hand touched his head, he felt a shiver pass through him, a shiver that reminded him of that night. A throbbing pain was shooting through his arm.

The Burrow seemed even more warm and welcoming than ever before. Sunlight filtered the air, but the pond was letting off a cool sea breeze, making it a perfect temperature for the beginning of August.

"Mère Weasley!"

A stunningly beautiful girl of 19, silver hair swinging behind her in the breeze, ran out from inside the house. She was followed by a petite girl, her black braid thumping against her back as she ran.

They stopped in front of the caravan of convalescents and their caregivers, Harry, Fred, George, Petunia, and Luna, and faced Molly.

"Fleur? Penelope?" Harry said, slightly dumbfounded. A distant memory revealed that Fleur had been dating Bill ever since last year, but he hadn't known that Percy had continued dating Penelope.

"Oh, Mère Weasley, I have been so worried about you, and Père Weasley, and mon freres and mon soeur!" Fleur cried.

Harry looked questioningly at Hermione.

"She just said she'd been worried about Mother Weasley, Father Weasley, and her brothers and sister," Hermione explained softly. "I guess she and Bill were planning on getting married."

"Fleur, Penelope, how good of you two to stick around," Molly said tiredly.

"Frere Charles, 'e is 'ere, also," Fleur said. "All ze way from Romania 'e came for ze funeral."

"Hey, Mum, Dad, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione," a male voice said, and Charlie Weasley stepped out the door, nodding at each of them. He inclined his head questioningly at Petunia but did not deign to ask her name.

"Let's get inside, dears, I need a moment to sit down," Molly said tiredly.

Fleur, Charlie, Harry, Fred, George, Petunia, and Luna assisted Arthur, Molly, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione into the house.

"Monsieur Dumbly-dore, 'e is very kind," Fleur was saying, over the cup of steaming tea she held in her hand. "'E came 'ere just yesterday to make sure all was ready for your return from ze 'ospital. 'E says 'e will be at ze funeral tomorrow, too."

"As Hagrid is so fond of saying, "Great man, Dumbledore"," Arthur said. He also held a mug of tea. Molly sat beside him, and they both sat across the kitchen table from Fleur and Penelope.

"Mère Weasley, Père Weasley," Fleur said suddenly, reaching out and grabbing Molly's hand. "Bill and moi, we wished to wed. We were planning on announcing our engagement soon. But now, as 'e's gone… I 'ope you will not mind my staying in Eengland. I wish to stay until you need moi no longer, and zen I return to France."

"Of course dear, stay as long as you want," Molly said. "I just wish…I would've loved to see one of my children married before I die. I'm an old woman now."

"Belle Mère Weasley, you are but 42 years," Fleur protested.

"I feel 92," Molly replied wearily. "Arthur, please take me to the living room. I need some rest, but I can't go upstairs…not to where their rooms are…"

"Of course, Molly," Arthur said, taking her free hand and lifting her from her chair. He led her fom the table at out to the living room.

Penelope, who had not made a single utterance the entire time she had thus far been at the Burrow, suddely let out a choked sob. That was too much for Fleur. She flung her arms around Penelope, buried her face in her shoulder, and sobbed with her.

Ginny laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. If she stared at a certain patch long enough, the woodwork changed shapes. Whether or not that was the work of the ghoul, she neither knew nor cared.

"Ginny, you're very quiet," Hermione said softly. She was lying on a cot opposite to Ginny, that Charlie and Fleur had set up. It cramped up the room but also warmed it.

"Am I not allowed to be?" Ginny asked, sitting up straight. She winced as the blood rushed to her head, but was immediately grateful she'd had blood enough left, after the Tuberculosis Curse that Death Eater had hit her with. "I'm seeing two of my brothers buried tomorrow. You're none so loud yourself, Hermione."

"I'm watching my parents being buried, too," Hermione snapped. "Be grateful I'm not screaming my head off."

Ginny bit the fleshy inside of her cheek, looking remorseful. "I'm sorry for being cross, Hermione."

She shrugged. "No, I should be sorry. We're in the same boat."

"No, we're not. I mean, Bill is dead because of someone distantly related to us, and I don't know who killed Percy, but you…"

"Does it matter if they're my biological parents?" Hermione snapped, echoing Sirius's comment on Bellatrix last year. "They abandoned me when Voldemort fell, and then they killed the only people I could ever consider my parents. They are slime. They are nothing to me at all."

Ginny looked frightened. "Hermione, I'm sorry, I…"

Hermione let out a very big sigh, which Ginny took as a sort of apology, and felt comfortable enough to smile at her. It would not do to have Hermione, her closest friend, at odds with her.

"Sorry for snapping at you, again, for the second time in 5 minutes," Hermione said. She toyed with the comforter on the cot, then stood up abruptly. "I have to go. I want to talk to Harry before the funeral."

Ginny gave her a grin, trying to lighten the mood and lift the tension that was stifling the flow of air from the open window. It helped slightly, and Hermione smiled weakly at her as she walked out of the room, giving her a tiny wave.

Hermione took a deep breath as she shut Ginny's door behind her. Her throat felt like it was slowly closing in on itself.

Her mouth opened to cough, but what came out was a choking sob. Tears began to pour from her eyes as she sunk to the floor, burying her face in her hands. Tears were soft and warm, like Demi's hands had been when she was rubbing Hermione's cold nose to warm it against a winter wind. They were salty, just like Paul's smell when he came in from a day on the boat.

She slammed her fist on the floor, swearing loudly and causing a jump courtesy of Ginny. Aaron and Belicia deserved eternal hellfire for this. How could they so unfeelingly murder their brother and his wife and then try to kill their own child? The little life they had created, the only good they had really brought to the world? How could they unerringly rip her entire world apart at the seams and do it so flippantly?

She swore again, this time screaming, but no one opened their doors to look in on her. The silent reaction to her shouting was deafening. She didn't want people to deferentially leave her with her suffering. She wanted someone to barge in, to comfort her, sympathize with her, or even tell her that she had no business swearing like that at 16 years old. Just someone to BE there.

Her hands were on her skull and she was preparing to rip out strands of hair by the roots when a small male voice whispered, "Hermione?"

"Harry?" she called back uncertainly.

"In the flesh." Harry appeared from Ron's room. "I never knew you were such a potty mouth before."

She sniffled, and wiped away tears. "I never heard my parents murdered before, either. I'm so glad you can only hear your parents when Dementors are around. I have and always will have a fresh memory of it."

He reached out tentatively and touched her cheek. "Just…just try not to think about it, okay?"

Harry was unused to this. For so long he had seemed like the only one who'd suffered, the only one who'd dealt with pain and loss, especially more so after Sirius's death. But now, his closest friends were suffering exactly what he was.

"They say…they say childhood is over when you realize you're going to die," he said. "But I think…maybe it's over when you realize that everyone around you will die."

"You know what, Harry, I think that's true."

He approached her slowly and put his arm around her shoulder. She reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Harry, thank you for being here for me."

"It wasn't a problem."

"You have always been my best friend. Without you, I really would be dead. I know you remembered, Halloween in our 1st year, that I was in the bathroom when Quirrell let the troll in. I would've died if you hadn't remembered. After that I was so proud to be your friend. I didn't even have any girl friends and suddenly you and Ron were there."

"Ron." Harry's eyes flew open. "Oh, God, Hermione, Ron doesn't know about us yet."

Hermione looked slightly stricken, as well. "My God, Harry, you're right."

"How is he gonna take it? I remember 4th year. He didn't speak to me for weeks over something like the Tournament. Imagine what he'll act like when he finds out about his two best friends."

"He'll have to live with it," Hermione said, but not coldly. "If he is worth it as a friend, he'll live with it."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. "Hermione…" he said falteringly.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you want to start dating me now? I mean, I'm not trying to dump you or anything," he added hastily. "But your parents just died and you're not fully recovered from your injuries. And now that I think of it…Krum. Aren't you still dating him?"

"I haven't seen him in person for a year. I don't think that counts as dating, even long-distance. But I'll have to write him and tell him what's been happening. I think he'll be okay with it. He's not eternally in love with me, you know. He just thought I was nice. And even if he was so in love with me, I couldn't stay with him. Harry, have you ever heard that old story about the meadowlark?"

"No."

"Well, there was a meadowlark. She sang beautifully, but she was blind. There was an old king who fell in love with her and offered her everything just to hear her sing. She complied and lived with him. One day she was singing by the river when the sun god came by. He fell in love with her as well, and her gave her what the king couldn't: her sight. He asked for her to come away with him, but she wouldn't. She couldn't bear to hurt the old king, even if she was miserable forever. So the sun god left, and when the king came to get her, he found that she'd died."

"That's…morbid, Hermione."

"No, it's perfectly truthful. It's symbolic. I'm the meadowlark, Harry. The king is my pain over my parent's death and my relationship with Viktor. The sun god is the rest of my life…and you." She turned to look him in the face. "If I can't leave my king behind and go with the sun god, I will die. Of course, I can't and won't forget. Viktor will always be my first boyfriend. My parent's deaths will always hurt me, and I'll be sad about them for a long time. But I…" she took a deep breath, collecting herself. "I can't wallow in sad memories and watch the sun pass me by. I have to move forward, no matter how hurt I am now. Moving forward means staying with you, Harry." She wiped away the remaining tears. "Stay with me for as long as you want to. I need you to do that for me, at least for now."

"Never thought I'd live to see Hermione not planning for the future."

"I can afford to live in the present right now," she answered, then sheepishly grinned at him. "D'you think, Harry, that we could have a real kiss right now? Not one where I'm having hysterics, but a real one?"

"Sure."

Her smile broadened and she leaned upwards, planting her mouth over his. It was warm, she noted, very cozy and not at all awkward. She had never kissed Viktor, only Harry. This was their third kiss and it was even better than the last two. This was one where she thought clearly. A befuddled mind is not good to have during a kiss, because you never knew what you were feeling. Now, with her thoughts clarified, she felt this was the best thing that could ever happen to her.

Harry was thinking much along the same lines. Cho was slowly dwindling in his memory. Cho was a crush; someone he barely knew. Hermione knew him. Hermione was always there for him. Briefly he wondered why he had not seen this opportunity before.

A loud thump made them jump apart.

"Why, hello, Harry, Hermione!" Luna said cheerfully, still holding Ron's handlebars. She and Ron were at the landing, just having levitated up the stairs. "I'm taking Ronald to his room, but you're in the way."

"No, Luna, it's okay," Ron said steely. His knuckles were very white, as he was gripping the arm rest. "I want to talk to Harry and Hermione for a minute."

"Well, all right, Ronald," Luna said. She kicked the emergency brake on. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

She turned and stomped down the steps, leaving three very stunned people in her wake.

"So, um…" Ron started, nervously toying with the end of his shirt. "For how long…?"

"Since you were admitted," Harry said miserably.

"Oh, for about a week. Well. That isn't so horrible. I mean, if it had been going on for years…that would've been worse," he finished lamely.

"Ron, are you okay?" Hermione whispered torturously.

"Me? Yeah, of course!" He smiled brightly at them. "I mean, it's weird, but…hey, there are worse things. We're living proof of that, aren't we?" he said, forcing an airy laugh.

"This doesn't change anything between us, Ron," Hermione and Harry said at nearly the same time.

"'Course it don't. I've grown up a bit since 4th year, I hope. I'm not going to dump you. Who would I hang out with if I did?" His smile seemed even more forced now, but his voice sounded sincere. "Listen, guys, I wanna get some sleep. We have to get up early, y'know?"

"No, Ron," Hermione said. "Hang out with us. We won't be all over each other. We can just talk. Just don't you dare avoid us. I expressively forbid it."

Ron pursed his lips. "Y'know what, Hermione, you and my mum could change places."

Hermione managed a sour smile. "I'll take that as a compliment…well, what to talk about…Did you get your O.W.L scores?"

"Yeah, on the 21st," Harry said, "just before Pig showed up."

"What'd you get?" Ron asked, choosing to ignore the fact that he'd also gotten his scores the day his life was shattered.

"O's in Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against Dak Arts, Herbology, and Transfiguration, E in Potions, A in Astronomy, and T's in Divination and History of Magic. I'm an Overall E student."

"You got an E in POTIONS?!" Ron exclaimed. "I just barely scraped the bottom with an A. I got O's in Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology, E's in Charms and Transfiguration, A's in Astronomy and Potions, a D in History of Magic, and a T in Divination. I'm an Overall A student.

"And what about you, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Let me guess…O, O, O…"

"O, another O, and I just saw another one, let me take a picture, O…" Ron added.

"There's goes a mother O and it's three little O's, followed by the big father O…"

"All right, enough," Hermione snapped. "I only got 10 O's."

"You only take 10 subjects," Ron shot back at her.

Harry snickered, unconsciously putting his arm around Hermione's shoulder again. His arm momentarily faltered and stopped as he saw Ron staring, but he resolutely tightened his grip on her shoulder.

"Guys, I really am bushed," Ron said. "Could one of you just wheel me into my room and I can get into bed by myself?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked at Ron, then glanced at Harry.

"It's okay, Ron," Harry said. "I want to go talk to your parents for awhile. About why they never mentioned that they knew my parents."

"I'll help you, Ron," Hermione offered, standing up. Harry removed his arm as he stood with her.

They both headed to Ron's wheelchair. Hermione took the handlebars that Luna had once held. Harry stopped in his journey towards the stairs to grip Ron's arm, his fingers reaching all the way to the arm rest. Ron did not know just how happy Harry was to have him alive. The merpeople had taken Ron for a reason in 4th year.

Hermione gave him a quick peck on the cheek and pushed Ron's wheelchair into his room as Harry tramped down the stairs.

"You sure you're all right with Harry and me, Ron?" Hermione asked, pushing open his door. The door handle did not fully align with the doorjamb, and so the door could be pushed open without turning the knob.

"Yeah, I'm all right," Ron said with just a trace of a sigh. "I mean, it's you two. Anyone with eyes could see it was going to happen."

Hermione half-smiled as she pushed him over to his bed. "Glad you think so."

"So, have you been in love with him for long?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Not in love, per se," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But he was always there. I always felt connected with him. I found it impossible for me to fight for long with him. I felt…like I'd hurt worse if I fought with him than if I fought with you. I'm so sorry, Ron, but that's what it is."

Ron shrugged. "'S all right, Hermione. I guess friend fights are better than love fights. You have less to lose."

"I don't want to lose you either," Hermione said savagely. "Even if I'm not in love with you, I honestly would not be myself again if I lost you."

"You're not gonna," Ron said. "I'm gonna find who killed my brothers and make them pay. I can't get killed before I do that."

"Good." Hermione slung Ron's arm over her shoulder and hoisted him up, assisting him into bed. "I'll see you later, Ron."

"Later, Hermione."

"Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley."

Molly was lying across the couch, supporting herself into a siting position on the arm rest. Arthur was sitting on the rocking chair next to the couch, her hand gripped in his.

"Yes, Harry?" Molly asked softly.

"I guess this probably isn't the best time to ask, but…why didn't you tell me that you knew my parents?"

Molly put her other hand on top of Arthur's and squeezed it. "We thought it better that you didn't know."

"Why?"

"Because if you knew, you would wonder why we couldn't take care of you instead of your aunt and uncle. And you didn't know why you had to stay there. We considered it cruel to let you know that your parents' friends were still alive but couldn't take you in. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "I guess it makes sense."

"There was not much we could about it, anyway. The Ministry would never have let any of us adopt you. We'd already had Ginny and were even poorer than we are now. Remus is a werewolf, Sirius was a convict, Hestia and Emmeline couldn't adopt due to the Ministry's patriarch system." Molly frowned at the injustice done to her two old friends. "Diana had just had Luna and they were still paying hospital bills. Amelia was grieving, Marlene was dead, and everyone thought Peter was, too."

"Wish he was."

"And besides…" Molly continued quickly, "we swore up and down never to mention Petunia being a witch to anyone. I don't see how we could've avoided it if we'd taken you in. We have old pictures lying all over the place…copies of the ones we sent Hagrid…others that didn't quite make it in. Those were the ones featuring us, the rest of Lily's friends, and your father's friends. In short, we sent you the ones with just Lily and James in them."

"Oh…well." Harry wasn't quite sure of what to say.

"Like this one." Molly took out her wand. "Accio photograph."

There was a thud as the door to the attic opened and shut, and a photo came shooting down the stairs and into Molly's hands. She gestured Harry closer and pointed to the photograph.

"This was May in 1980, the year we graduated," she explained. "That's me. Arthur and I had gotten married in December the year before. Remember that I told you I'd never seen the Whomping Willow? I lied. Arthur and I, along with your parents and their friends, snuck out and got to the Shrieking Shack through it."

"Your father, Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew had given up their sole rights to the Marauder's Map to help me get out," Arthur said. "That's how Fred and George know how to use the Map. I told them." He smiled, reminiscing. "You know, they weren't the only unregistered Animagi in the school."

"YOU'RE an Animagus?"

"Yes. I accidentally stumbled onto one of their midnight full moon romps in 5th year and they said that if I kept quiet, they'd help me become an Animagus. I figured it would be easier to sneak out and see Molly if I was an Animagus, so I complied. I suppose Remus didn't mention me being an Animagus before, for the double reason of not getting me in trouble and so you wouldn't know your father had other friends who were alive."

"What do you turn in to?"

Arthur stood from the rocking chair. With a pop, he instatnly transformed into a sheep. It baaed at Harry, wagged it's tail, and then transformed back into Arthur. "They called me Cudmunch."

"They called Lily "Tiger Lily", when they weren't calling her "Lils"," Molly said. "James and Lily didn't start dating until January of this year, at Andromeda's wedding. You remember Andromeda from that family tree in Grimmauld Place, right? That's her right there. She's pregnant with Tonks." Molly pointed out a woman with long, thick black hair and small black eyes, who was roughly 4 or 5 months pregnant. A brown-haired man, assumedly Ted Tonks, had his arm around her. "And there's Arthur and I. I was pregnant too, with Bill. I was about 4 or 5 months along, I got pregnant just before Andy…"

Arthur squeezed Molly's hand, then pointed to the picture as well. "That's Sirius and Remus right there. Remus was flirting with Marlene, see?"

Harry repressed a snicker as he watched his ex-professor trying desperately to flirt with a brown-haired, brown-eyed, skinny witch.

"Sirius is glaring at Amelia. They never got on too well," Arthur continued. Indeed, Sirius and Amelia Bones were shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. "Those two are Alice and Frank, Neville's parents. They got engaged not long after this. That's Hestia and Emmeline right there, and there's Diana with Apollo Lovegood. And there's your parents and your aunt," Molly said, pointing. James was standing inbetween the two sisters, his arm around either one. The girls were leaning across each other, their faces side-to-side against each other, and smiling at the camera.

"Why isn't Pettigrew in here?" Harry asked.

"He was taking the picture."

"Good. I might have had to destroy the picture if he was in it."

Arthur's mouth twitched. "I suppose so."

"Here, Harry," Molly said, handing him the picture. "It's yours. I have a dozen copies of it, anyway…the pictures that were Marlene's, Diana's, Alice's, Sirius's, your parents', and even Pettigrew's."

Harry took the picture by its frame and stared at it. He could just barely hear voices coming from the photo. Even as Sirius glared at Amelia, he was singing something by AC-DC. Remus was muttering incoherently to Marlene, who was looking slightly sorry for him. Andromeda and Ted were dancing and laughingly wildly. Diana was whispering to Apollo. Hestia was squeezing Emmeline's hand and grinning broadly at the camera, next to Emmeline's small, tight smile. Arthur was patting Molly's stomach and both were grinning. James and Lily were making silly faces at the camera and Petunia had a look that plainly said "Why am I friends with these people?"

"Looks like a fun group."

"We were," Molly said. "It all fell apart, but…" She placed her hand on the photograph. "Even if we're poor or dead or have conditions that make others discriminate us… we had those days, and I'm glad of it."

Harry pocketed the photograph. He thought he heard something like a dry sob from the hallway, and it sounded oddly like Petunia.

It was raining, so now it seemed like the whole world was crying with them. The priest's blessing over the coffins were falling on deaf ears.

Ginny was sobbing horribly, held against her crying father's chest. Molly looked the most terrible of all. She couldn't even cry, just stared ahead unbelievingly. Charlie was holding both Fleur's and Penelope's hand. The girls seemed beside themselves, and Harry thought that if they cried anymore they'd shrivel up like raisans for dehydration.

Ron looked horrible, too, a total mess. Though, Harry noted, not for lack of Luna's efforts, as Luna was patting his hand and saying something that included the words "angelic seraphim mice that guide souls" or some such.

Harry was also seeing Weasleys that he had never seen before. Arthur's maiden sister and last sibling, Camilla, was seated next to Arthur and Ginny. Next to her was Arthur's parents, John and Spica. Hary could see the uncanny resemblance between Spica and Sirius's faces and nearly convinced himself that Sirius had been adopted out and was really Spica's child as well. Also with them were Alphard Balck, Sirius's biological uncle, and his wife, Molly's aunt Marina.

Molly's maiden family, the Prewetts, were here too, but it was only her father, Samuel, her last reamining relative, except for Marina, who was born Marina Pembridge, sister of Molly's mother, Laura. Her older brothers, Gideon and Fabian, had died in the 1st War and her mother had died shortly after Voldemort's defeat from nerve disease.

The only people here for Hermione was her widowed grandmother, born with the name June Mons, as it appeared that her mother, baptized Demi Kirk, was an orphan and an only child, and neither Paul nor Demi had friends or they had lost all their friends around two decades ago. June was a formidable-looking old lady in a wheelchair that addressed John, Spica, Marina, and Alphard with a grim smile of recognition, and immediately started a conversation on their Hogwarts days in the 40's.

Etta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, had arrived with said grandson, because, according to her sniff, she deeply respected Paul and Demi and even though Percy always rubbed her the wrong way, Bill had cut her lawn for her and she liked the look in his eyes. Neville had murmured his condolences to Ron and Hermione, which he immediately recognized as a blunder when Hermione started crying.

Hermione now sat next to Harry, holding his hand as she watched the pall-bearers lifting her parent's coffins and walking towards the door with them.

"Do you want to go out to watch them buried?" he whispered in her ear.

"Meadowlark," Hermione said robotically. "Maybe later…I have to be a smart meadowlark…Not now…"

"I understand." He squeezed her hand, sending a message through his eyes to Ron that Hermione was staying. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Could you?"

"Sure."

"I'll stay, too," Ron offered. "Dad," he said as Arthur passed, half-carrying the squalling Ginny, "give me Ginny for a bit. She's a mess."

This was a stretch, because Ron did not look much better, but Arthur silently obliged and set his daughter down on the pew next to Ron's wheelchair. She hiccuped wildly through her tears, and Ron rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I…I guess I'll stay, too," Neville said, as Etta swept form the church, giving him an indignant sniff.

"I will, too," Luna immediately offered, seeing that the other five had all assembled around Harry and Hermione. Her father nodded and followed the throng of mourners as she sat down on the pew next to Ron, opposite to Ginny's. She leaned over, propping her chin on her fists and resting her elbows on her calves.

"So…" Ron started awkwardly. "So, Neville…how'd you do on your O.W.Ls?"

Neville seemed to soften his stiffened spine. "Better than I thought I would. I'm an overall A student. I got O's in Defense Against Dark Arts and Herbology, an E in Divination, A's in Transfiguration, History of Magic, Charms, and Astronomy, and a P in Potions. I expected a T, so I'm pretty happy about that." Weak laughter spread around the other 5. "Oh, and I got a new wand. Gran was actually pretty proud that I went to the Ministry with you guys, even if I destroyed Dad's wand. Said there's an Auror in me yet." He unsheathed a wand from his pocket. "Poplar tree and Unicorn hair, 10 inches."

The wand had been admired and placed back in Neville's pocket when Luna spoke up.

"Is the D.A. still going on?" Luna asked.

"Of course," Harry said. "I can't let it just die on us."

"Good."

"We're the leading D.A. members," Hermione said, softly but heard by all. "The first 6 to face down a battle with the Death Eaters. It only goes downhill from here, people. Sure you don't want to back out?"

"Absolutely not," Neville said.

"I quit the day that Tibetan monks kill a Bent-Back Marvalian," Luna said.

Hermione did not question Luna, but sent a searching look to Ginny. "You, Ginny? You sure you want to continue?"

Ginny looked down at her hands as she spoke. "If you think I'm backing down after what happened to Bill and Percy, you're delusional."

"That's what I wanna hear," Harry said, taking Hermione's hand again. "So, the Trio has gown to a Sextet. Sometimes change is a good thing."

"Yeah," Ron agreed softly. "Sometimes it is."

This chapter and the next are filler chapters but necessary for the future of the fic. Bear with me, please.